“Don’t sell yourself short, Chase,” Alex said. “I’ve seen your record. And Lance’s. You’re both excellent.”
Chase shrugged, but the compliment made him sit up a little straighter. “Thanks.”
“I agree, though. With the one city potentially having three of the targets . . . Ja, it’s better to have one guy for each. I don’t mind coming along, though, even if it’s not needed. I like getting out in the field. And you and your men are good company.”
“Fatherhood not suiting you?” Chase asked with a laugh.
“I love my kinder, but ja, it is sometimes nice to get out with the big boys and shoot something. Neither Anna nor my father will let me be a full-time assassin anymore.” He slapped Chase on the back. “I am glad you have taken over my place so I can get out every once in a while.”
Ethan caught his eye from across the room and nodded. Chase stood, wincing slightly at the residual pain from his foot injury. Most of the time, it didn’t bother him. But sometimes, when the weather changed or he was stressed or tired, it would ache.
He pulled out his phone and powered it off. The others followed suit. They wouldn’t be turned back on until after the job was complete. That was his rule. They had one satellite phone they used to check messages. Only a handful of people had the number, and they each knew it was only for emergencies. His mother, Richard, and his best friend, Jayson, were included in that small group.
Chase glanced at his watch and looked around the room. “Ready?” he asked, and each man nodded in response. “Good. Commencing radio silence . . . now.”
Chapter Three
Cold fear swept through Sabrina’s body as she huddled on the tile floor, staring at the shadow beneath the dresser in front of her. Her body wouldn’t stop shaking, though she wasn’t cold.
Pain erupted in her hip every time a deep convulsion shook her body. Her joints ached. Her skin stung.
She needed to sleep so she could heal. Sleep healed her body and her mind.
But she couldn’t stop shaking. She couldn’t think straight, yet she couldn’t stop thinking.
Something glinted in the dying sunlight, something just under the edge of the dresser. She inhaled through her tight throat. Chase’s ring.
She needed that ring. Her body wouldn’t move.
Why?
She took a deep breath and, with all her strength, lunged forward to grasp the heavy ring between her first and second fingers. The metal was surprisingly warm, though now that she thought about it, it always was. She pulled it toward her and grasped it tightly in her shaking fist against her naked chest. As warmth slowly spread from her hand to the rest of her body, she relaxed.
Within a few minutes, the final tremor wracked its way through her body and she let out a deep sigh.
She closed her eyes and succumbed to the blackness that beckoned.
*****
Sabrina’s palm stung, as if it had been cut by a dull knife.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she hadn’t moved since the last time she was awake, although she wasn’t shaking anymore. She opened her hand, stretching out her fingers, and saw the source of the stinging.
Chase’s ring.
The only thing that made her feel sane. Her only connection to the world outside this hellhole she lived in for so many years. Even though the memories it stirred up were painful, it was a good painful. It reminded her that, once upon a time, good things happened in her life.
Sabrina wasn’t certain how she managed to keep it out of sight for so long. It had been in her pocket when she was taken, and she’d hid it after Master and Khyan were done with her those long, painful first few days.
Sabrina still felt the pain in her heart as she remembered. She’d cried for so long after she’d finally been left alone. The gruesome murders of her mom and dad had flashed in her mind constantly. The memory of her mother’s screams tore at her soul. The only thing that would bring relief from those horrible images was replaying the few, precious hours she had with Chase until she felt like she were right there next to him on the yacht again. Then she would stare at the wall and will him to come crashing in and rescue her.
After a few months, she realized how foolish she was being. He had no idea she was even taken. How could he? He was in training. There was no hope of rescue.
But she couldn’t rid herself of the hope in her heart. She dreamed of being free.
For a while.
Then she forgot to dream of anything and gave in to Master’s desires.
Until that ring somehow woke her up again.
It had been easier when she was oblivious to what was going on around her. There was nothing to dream of, nothing to hope for.
Nothing.
Blissful ignorance.
Hope hurt. Hope made her dream of possibilities. Possibilities that would never become reality.
It was easier to forget.
Shaking her head to clear her mind of the abhorrent thoughts, Sabrina sat up. She looked down at her naked body covered in dried blood. Unfortunately, this wasn’t unusual. She went into the bathroom to take a shower, listening for Ramon to come thundering into her room.
But he didn’t. Where is he? Not that she should complain. Sabrina liked it when he left her alone, however rare an occurrence that was. Though it seemed to be happening more often lately.
Even Khyan had been gone for a few weeks. Lately he’d been absent more than he’d been with her. Though, if Sabrina was being honest with herself, she wasn’t sure if things were better or worse when he wasn’t around. Perhaps neither. Ramon was more than capable of achieving Khyan’s level of cruelty.
Once showered, Sabrina towel-dried her hair and dressed in a simple blue cotton dress Ramon had given her to wear on the rare occasion when he didn’t need her. The dress and her dance clothes were the only things she could call her own.
And Chase’s ring.
She sat down on her bed, cross-legged, and held Chase’s ring, sighing as she lost herself in her memories for a few precious minutes.
She looked up suddenly. It was quiet. Too quiet. The silence hung around her like a heavy cloak, threatening to suffocate her in the hot air of an Arizona summer afternoon.
The compound was never this quiet. There was always someone stomping around.
Or a man yelling.
Or a woman screaming.
She stood in one fluid motion, automatically sliding the ring into its hiding place between her mattress and box spring before moving cautiously to the door and listening.
Silence.
She closed her eyes, trying to remember what happened before she woke up. She always purposely forgot what the men did to her. She’d go insane if she dwelled on it. And she wouldn’t let them have that power over her. If she couldn’t die, sentenced to life in this hellhole, she wasn’t going to give them the pleasure of knowing she was afraid of them.
Images flashed through her head and she shuddered. Being hung from her wrists in the arena and whipped until she stopped responding . . . The cattle prod on her nipples and clit . . . Ramon’s twisted grin as he brought in . . .
Sabrina covered her face and fell to her knees as she remembered what he did. What he made her do. What she’d done so many times before.
When the memories rushed in all at once, she was powerless to stop them . . .
An unfamiliar emotion bubbles to the surface. One that doesn’t come out often.
Anger.
“No more!” I shout and feel the rage consume me.
I am strong. I am powerful. I free myself from my bonds and stagger toward them, even though I’m injured. The men scream. Blood . . . Bullets . . . Whips . . . Cries of anguish . . . Screaming . . . More blood . . . And, finally, death.
So much death.
Sabrina’s head snapped up. I killed the
m!
Her chest tightened and she struggled for breath. Memories flooded her mind from the other times she’d killed and the resulting punishment . . . someone she cared about was tortured to death.
But there was no one left to punish for her crimes.
“No!” She shook her head violently, but the memories wouldn’t stay away. They poured into her mind like a flood after a torrential thunderstorm . . .
I’m so strong, I can fight off Ramon and his men with my bare hands. They shoot me, but I don’t feel it. They deserve to die. They’re evil men who do evil things. Not only to me, but to the innocent, as well. God knows I’m no innocent. Not anymore.
In my rage, I’m unable to distinguish one person from another. The men are all dead now, but there is still a living being in the room.
I attack her.
Sabrina screamed and curled into a ball, remembering what she did. God knew Ramon deserved what he got, but not her. She was just an innocent girl.
I’m a monster. They’ve turned me into a monster.
How many people had she killed this time?
Chest heaving, tears streaming from her eyes, she rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling and tried to tamp down the memories of her past that threatened to rear their ugly head. To shove them deep into her mind and lock them away, never to emerge again.
Gradually, the silence of the house crept back into her consciousness as the tears subsided.
Escape!
The thought ricocheted into her mind like a bullet.
Now.
She needed to escape while she could. Everyone was dead. Now was the time to leave.
The idea flooded her mind and body with hope as she sat up.
Blood rushed to her head, making the room spin and blinding her with gold-and-red sparkles. She closed her eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass.
Once she could see again, she rolled forward to crouch silently, listening again for boots in the hallway. After several minutes of balancing on her toes, there was still no evidence of life outside the heavy wooden door that stood between her and the rest of the house.
She slowly pulled open the heavy door and looked up and down the hallway before stepping out of her room, listening for any sound, any indication she wasn’t alone.
She heard nothing.
Quickly and silently, she searched the house. The rooms were empty. The courtyard was vacant. She avoided the arena, though. She knew what lay beyond that door.
It was silent.
Escape!
Energy rushed through her body at the idea. She ran back to her room and threw open the closet to toss her few possessions into her dance bag. She slipped Chase’s ring onto her thumb.
There was no question in her mind about her destination. Boston. It was the only place she knew people. The only place she could imagine going.
Sabrina pushed away the doubts that threatened to seep into her mind. She couldn’t waste time doubting herself. Khyan could return at any moment and she didn’t want to be here when he did.
Her bare feet slapped against the tile floor as she ran to Ramon’s office. After rummaging through several of the drawers of his desk, she found the ID he used for her when he had to take her someplace.
Sabrina De Souza.
Did anyone around here even know her real name?
She might be safer using her real name, but didn’t have any identification. She shoved the ID into the bag and looked around the office.
Not only was Ramon her keeper when Khyan wasn’t around, he also ran a drug and human trafficking ring linked to Mexico. Girls headed for the sex trade, and drugs headed for everywhere, flowed in and out of the compound constantly. She had been in his office plenty of times while he did business. It always involved a lot of cash, which he kept in his safe.
Please be open. Please, for the love of God, let the safe be open.
She hurried to the closet. Inside, the safe sat open, a duffel bag half-filled with cash next to it. It looked like Ramon’s men were in the middle of transferring money and drugs to the safe when she . . . lost control.
Sabrina grabbed several stacks of cash and shoved them into her own bag. Ramon wouldn’t need it anymore, and Khyan certainly didn’t need it. Immortals didn’t need cash. Well, Immortals like her did.
She paused. Immortal. She was Immortal. Khyan would be able to find her. And the Immortal part of her was the dangerous part. The uncontrollable part.
On the top shelf of the safe, she saw what could keep her from being discovered. With shaky hands, she took the nickel-sized diamond between her thumb and forefinger and stared at it for a moment as it glittered in the light from the window.
This was no ordinary diamond. This particular one had the ability to draw her Immortality out of her blood. Not all diamonds had that capability, but these came from the place where the Immortals lived. It was the same type of diamond Khyan shoved into her grandmother’s mouth before he murdered her.
I can hide from Khyan if I use this. It makes me human.
Once, Khyan used it to draw out her suffering so she couldn’t heal by sleeping. She managed to sneak out of the room and hide in a closet. Because the diamond claimed her Immortality, he couldn’t find her, and they turned the whole house upside down searching for her. Finally, one of Ramon’s men discovered her hiding under the coats. Khyan raped her repeatedly, filling her with his essence to ensure the return of her Immortality—and his ability to sense her. He never used it again. She knew what she had to do, but she didn’t know if she could. It was an excruciatingly painful process.
Sabrina picked up her bag and stared at the diamond as she walked back to her room, contemplating what she needed to do. Could she be brave and face the pain of ripping her soul apart?
But why would she want to keep it? It was evil and hurt people.
She lay down on her bed, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and put the gem into her mouth. After a few seconds of nothing happening, her veins began to burn. She clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut as the gold in her blood began to boil and make its way to the awaiting vessel. Her skin was on fire. She wanted to scream. Her muscles contracted, her joints popped. Her chest tightened, as if trying to suffocate her. Her hands clenched into fists, fingernails digging into her palms. Groans escaped her throat, and she pressed her shaking fist to her lips to keep from spitting out the offending object.
The boiling agony intensified and a blood-curdling scream finally escaped her mouth. The diamond fell to the floor as she wrestled with the pain.
Sabrina rolled to her side and stared as the diamond rolled across the tile. She closed her eyes and let the blackness overtake her.
Chapter Four
Sabrina woke with a start, her heart pounding as if she’d just finished the Black Swan’s thirty-two fouetté turns from Act II of Swan Lake.
How long had she been lying there? Had Khyan returned?
Half-blind, she picked up the cloudy diamond from the floor, then dropped it again. She didn’t want it, didn’t want to risk Khyan being able to find her with it. Instead, she picked up her bag and stumbled out the door and down the hallway, her hand sliding along the wooden paneling to help her maintain her balance.
By the time she reached the end of the hallway, her vision had cleared, but her head still pounded with each heartbeat.
Car. I need a car.
There was no way to escape without one. The compound was in the middle of nowhere. She was reminded of that fact every time she was driven to the ballet studio.
She learned to drive when she was sixteen, but hadn’t been allowed to since she was taken. Did she even remember how to drive?
She had to try.
The garage was at the end of a long hallway. Once inside, she found the small cabinet containing the keys and stared at the labels. So
many vehicles. Does it really matter which one I take? Ramon was dead. He wouldn’t care. Finally, she grabbed the keys to one of the smaller SUVs.
She fell into the driver’s seat and stared at the place a key would normally go, seeing only a button marked “start.” She pushed it and the engine roared to life. Blowing out a breath, she opened the garage door with the remote and backed out as quickly as possible, scraping the side of the black sports car next to her. She didn’t stop to check the damage. Who would care?
She shuddered at the memories threatening to return and turned her concentration to the dirt road ahead of her. She had no idea where she was going, except away from the compound. The dirt eventually turned into a paved road and ended at a T, a sign indicating the freeway was nearby.
East to Boston or west to Tucson?
Did it matter? Did she want to drive to Boston? Was it even possible to drive to Boston?
After contemplating for a long moment, she decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to drive all the way across the country.
She stared at the sign, not knowing what to do. She had no friends, no family. Ramon and Khyan never let her talk to anyone, except . . .
She turned the car west, toward the city and the one person she knew in the area. Larry Baker, the director of the small city ballet company she danced with.
*****
As Sabrina walked up to the ballet studio, she feared she was putting Mr. Baker in danger, but she honestly didn’t know what else to do. She prayed it didn’t occur to Khyan to ask him and that Mr. Baker stayed safe . . . if he even agreed to help. She’d never been allowed to be friendly with anyone. Khyan or Ramon would have punished her severely had she tried.
She opened the glass door to his office suite and Eloise, Mr. Baker’s secretary, stared at Sabrina over her half-moon glasses, eyes wide. The secretary’s salt-and-pepper hair was pulled back in its customary bun, making her look like the former dancer she was.
Sabrina wasn’t surprised at the other woman’s astonishment. She’d never been here without Ramon, one of his men, or Khyan by her side.
Master of My Heart Page 2